Several reports have shown two mechanisms in the downregulation of E-cadherin in HCC; one is the hypermethylation of the E-cadherin promoter and the other is the loss of heterozygosity of the E-cadherin gene (Kanai et al, 1997; Matsumura et al, 2001; Wei et al, 2002). Here, CDH1 is linked to hepatocellular carcinoma.